On the buses in Slovakia

The OZ KOVO union has applied to the Slovak ministry of labour for an agreement it has just signed with the bus operators’ association, ZAD, to be extended to all bus companies in the country.

New rules on extending collective agreements came into force this January. They allow the ministry of labour to extend a collective agreement to whole of an industry provided the agreement covers a larger number of employees in the industry than any other agreement. Companies employing fewer than 20 people are exempt. In the past, industry level agreements could only be extended to an employer’s workforce with the agreement of that employer.

The conditions governing the extension of collective agreements have been politically controversial in Slovakia and the new rules were adopted last year against strong opposition from right wing parties

The bus deal provides for a 2.7% increase at a time when prices are falling slightly on an annual basis (-0.1% in February) and the union estimates that if the agreement is extended it will apply to 10,000 employees.

The union now plans to sign further industry level deals in engineering and metalworking and will also seek to have these extended.